by Deena Al Hilli
Last week the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) announced the funding of £7.3 billion for universities and colleges in England, which is a reduction of £449 million from previously announced plans for the 2010/11 financial year.
These university budget cuts have sparked varied reactions nationwide. Many issues such as job losses, larger class sizes, denied access to thousands of students and closure of courses have been raised in the aftermath of the announcement. Amid the fears is that international institutions will now gain a competitive edge, as the quality of UK institutions become at risk.
A major concern that has risen is that the higher education sector in places like Asia, Europe and some parts of the USA is receiving increased funding to get out of the current economical crisis, whilst the UK is working in the reverse order. Wendy Piatt, Director General of the Russell Group, said “Our competitors in Europe, Asia and the US are pouring more resources into higher education as a strategy for coming out of recession.” The group also said, ”If government targets these huge cuts on university budgets they will have a devastating effect not only on students and staff, but also on our international competitiveness, national economy and ability to recover from recession.” In an article for the Guardian, the Russell Group also says, “Nicolas Sarkozy has just announced an investment of 11bn Euros in higher education in France, stating he wants ‘the best universities in the world.’ Germany pumped a total of 18bn Euros into promoting world-class research alongside university education, while Barack Obama ploughed an additional US$21bn into federal science spending.”
Britain is a very popular destination for international students, particularly with Indian students. However the Indian government recently announced plans to allow foreign universities to offer degrees and set up campuses in India, which may reduce the number of Indian students studying in the UK. However, it appears that UK institutions need to limit the number of spaces per course in any case, as government enforced fines will take place with over recruitment of students. Six thousands fewer students will gain places at university this year. With Europe, Australia and New Zealand welcoming an increased number of British applicants, could this lead to international institutions gaining those six thousand places and more? Or will leading UK institutions be able to sustain their competitive advantage?
Sir Alan Langlands, Chief Executive of HEFCE said, “This is a challenging financial settlement, but we are doing all that we can to support excellence in teaching and research by keeping across-the-board reductions in core funding to universities and colleges to a minimum. Our approach will also give institutions maximum flexibility to pursue their priorities.” Read more →
